The invention relates generally to apparatus for stacking loop springs in aligned stacks for shipment to customers who integrate such loop springs into seat cushions and other articles.
In one prior art construction, loop springs were fed from a spring fabricating machine in flat condition into a series of elongated recesses in a rotatable drum such that the springs were releasably and frictionally held along one lengthwise edge in a recess by spring action attempting to relax to an arced condition and such that a portion along the length of each of the springs extended from the drum recess. The drum was sequentially rotated relative to a pair of stacking blades including upper ends which, incident to drum rotation, were received between the drum and the closed ends of the extending spring loops, whereby the springs were withdrawn from the drum incident to drum rotation and so as thereby to afford stacking of the springs incident to downward spring travel on the stacking blades.